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The Ivalice Chronicles team had to remake the original Final Fantasy Tactics’ source code from scratch

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The Square Enix team behind Final Fantasy Tactics — The Ivalice Chronicles didn’t just remaster the iconic strategy RPG, they had to go through the trouble of remaking the source code from scratch, according to Bloomberg. In an interview with Bloomberg‘s Jason Schreier, the game’s director Kazutoyo Maehiro explained the arduous process of designing The Ivalice Chronicles, which is set to release at the end of the month.

When getting to work on the remake, Maehiro and his team discovered they had to rebuild the source code from the ground up since it was lost thanks to the industry’s unstandardized practices in the ’90s, according to Bloomberg. When translating Final Fantasy Tactics from Japanese to English for the global release, the company would overwrite the original Japanese version’s code. For Maehiro, that meant the team had to undertake a ground-up overhaul and recreate the source code by playing the original game that released in 1997, consulting the game’s master disc and looking at the 2011 version called Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions, according to Bloomberg. Maehiro also said during a PAX West 2025 panel that the team gleaned a lot of lost info from fan-made databases.

Revealing more of the behind-the-scenes decisions for The Ivalice Chronicles, Maehiro told Bloomberg about the debate surrounding Count Cidolfus Orlandeau. Better known as Cid, and appropriately nicknamed Thunder God Cid, this overtuned character joins you later in the game, but many fans complained about him being overpowered. Instead of nerfing Cid, Maehiro told Bloomberg that keeping this character’s power level the same would better represent the storyline since “his role in the story is being that very powerful character who joins your party.” To quell any concerns of Cid being too broken, Maehiro told Bloomberg that the team decided to buff the other characters to even things out. Looking ahead, Maehiro also hinted at exploring sequels for the Final Fantasy Tactics franchise or even brand new games in the strategy RPG genre, given that The Ivalice Chronicles does well, according to Bloomberg.



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Pocket Scion is a synth you play with plants
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Pocket Scion is a synth you play with plants

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A few years ago, artist Modern Biology became a viral sensation when he posted videos of himself controlling a modular synth with mushrooms on TikTok. Pocket Scion gives anyone similar capabilities, but without having to spend thousands of dollars on a Eurorack rig – and in a much more portable package.

A core part of Modern Biology’s setup is a module called Scion from Glasgow-based Instruo. Scion turns biofeedback, whether that’s from houseplants or your own skin, into CV (control voltage) for controlling other synth modules in a larger setup. Touching two sensors to your hand or a mushroom completes a circuit, and then electrical fluctuations in that circuit can be used to trigger different notes, or change the cutoff on a filter, for instance.

A little over a year ago, he approached Instruo about building something new. The fruit of that collaboration is the Pocket Scion, an affordable self-contained instrument that can turn small electrical changes from living organisms into MIDI data and create soundscapes using one of the four built-in sound engines.

The Pocket Scion has a number of advanced capabilities too, including MIDI out for controlling external instruments. There’s also a companion app for Windows, macOS, and Linux that exposes sound design tools for creating your own synth patches, and can send data over Open Sound Control (OSC), which gives it control over a ton of audio and video programs like Max/MSP, Pure Data, and Unreal Engine for creating visualization or complex reactive art installations. It’s more powerful than you’d expect given its $149 price.

The initial run of Pocket Scions sold out almost immediately. But you can place a preorder for when the next batch ships “early next week,” according to retailer Control Voltage.





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Google Pixel 10 on blue background with big savings text overlay
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This Pixel 10 deal at Visible Wireless gets you $480 off without the annoying trade

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Tempted by the latest Google Pixel 10 series of devices, but don’t want to trade-in or sign up for a hefty postpaid plan? Visible Wireless’ latest deal might just fit the bill.

The carrier his currently offering an excellent $480 rebate on all three devices when you pair one up with a Visible Plus Pro plan – an excellent saving that doesn’t require the usual trade-in criteria.

This particular deal is currently only available with new lines, so existing customers will have to sit this one out, unfortunately. It’s also worth noting that this discount comes in the form of a $20/mo rebate over the duration of a two-year period, so it’s definitely one that’s aimed at those in it for the long haul.

If you are interested, however, then Visible Wireless is definitely one of the better options available for prepaid plans. The Visible Plus Pro plan comes with completely unlimited data on the super-speedy Verizon 5G Wideband network, HD video streaming, and unlimited mobile hotspot allowance, so it’s a great alternative to the bigger carriers. At $45/mo ($25 with this deal), it’s also much easier on the pocket.

Google Pixel 10 deal at Visible Wirless

Other great Pixel 10 deals to consider



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5 Things We Loved, 3 Things We Didn't About 'Wednesday' Season 2 Part 2
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5 Things We Loved, 3 Things We Didn’t About ‘Wednesday’ Season 2 Part 2

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Season 2 of Wednesday is finally available to watch in its entirety on Netflix. And while the first half introduced a solid return, the second half almost holds up before a messy to-be-continued conclusion.

Tim Burton puts his whole Burtonesque business on full display with a third-act antagonist reveal that both works and doesn’t. The Addams family being at the mechanical heart of another mystery creates a lot of fun lore for Wednesday (Jenna Ortega) to discover about her parents. This time Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) isn’t the only Addams with a dark secret; Gomez (Luis Guzmán) and Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez) are also involved.

And it all, of course, ties back to what makes Nevermore the center of the drama, both in its past and in its present. But did it all come together in a satisfying way? Very nearly, as season two’s writers room finds its footing with a good blend of diverse voices led by Miles Millar and Alfred Gough but gets mired by falling back into building an anticipation for more in season three with no solid conclusion to stand on its own.

We loved: Weems’ return

© Netflix

All hail Gwendoline Christie’s return to Nevermore. Weems is the perfect mentor-slash-foil to push Wednesday around as her guide and fight for her legacy at the school. Just speculating here, but if the writers created some woo-woo magic excuse to materialize her enough to be a visible specter, we would definitely accept her coming back as the school’s immortal principal. It’s a supernatural world; let’s do it. Season three without Weems wouldn’t be the same.

We loved: The Addams family matters

© Netflix

If the show wasn’t an Addams Family spin-off, it would be a problem, but truly I love that at the core of a lot of the mystery is Wednesday’s family. They are the drama in this world and we love the goth telenovela aspect of it all. Morticia and Gomez have had murderous haters since high school; all her killings have been in defense of those she loves. They had it coming! Nevermore’s secrets being brought to light because of Wednesday is hilarious because so many of her mysteries would have been solved quicker if she and Tish had a better relationship.

We loved: Bianca and Ajax’s friendship

© Netflix

As the show finds better ways to balance its concurrent plots, we hope to see more of Bianca and Ajax stepping up as the leaders of Nevermore. While Wednesday has no interest in being a student body leader, they most resemble the archetype to protect the outcasts that Morticia and Gomez were established to have had when they were students. We didn’t get much of Bianca and Morticia bonding over that and I hope it’s seen in later seasons of the show. Ajax babysitting Pugsley and Eugene was awesome. Plus their last act of heroics against Dort really made them the school’s real MVPs.

We loved: Weird Wednesday

© Netflix

The Freaky Friday body swap between Enid and Wednesday was a delightful way to really help them understand one another. We needed more of them bonding since the first half separated them for so long and this was the perfect way to establish why they are the balance of dark and light at the core of the show. It really worked to set up why Wednesday goes after wolfed-out Enid at the end of the season to save her. Plus seeing Ortega go polar opposite and be a girly girl was too funny.

We loved: Lady Gaga making a monster meal of a small role

© Netflix

We’re still not convinced she’s Rosaline Rotwood. Why? Because a lot has been hinted about Rosaline and Ophelia’s Raven abilities, with a particular nod to supernatural vulnerabilities that Morticia wants to protect Wednesday from. Seeing Gaga as a trickster apparition who tests her was a joy, and we wouldn’t be surprised if she was a-possessed-by-Rosaline Ophelia. That ending reveal that Grandmama is holding the missing Frump in a secret room with the same white-blond hair makes us wonder if, in addition to possibly being possessed, she can astral project. We’re obsessed and want more Gaga in this universe.

We didn’t love: The ball dance minus Wednesday

© Netflix

We needed Wednesday to join in and make this the modern-day Mean Girls “Jingle Bell Rock” dance. The song, however? It eats the dancefloor up and we can’t wait to see it recreated online. Thank you Gaga for this spooky gift.

We didn’t love: The Hydes

© Netflix

Tyler being related to the big bad this season gave off “Palpatine is my grandfather” vibes. Not everyone has to be related! We loved Tyler’s origin as a normie being a journey he could go on as he realized he had a suppressed outcast identity within. It still makes little sense to have him blindly just follow along with anyone who calls themselves his master, first Marylin Thornhill, then his mom and uncle Isaac, who try to use their family drama to pit him against the Addams and force him to be normal. The Isaac reveal as being the rest of Thing’s body therefor also Tyler’s uncle further makes the “everyone is related” trope made the big bad reveal overkill.

Thankfully we got a moment where Tyler and Wednesday break the generational chains and might get a fresh start with their own extended will-they, wont-they. We hope Tyler figures his family drama out and returns with a better sense of maybe belonging among the students at Nevermore alongside Wednesday (we can’t help but ship)—not just trying to kill them all the time

We didn’t love: Enid’s curse

© Netflix

Finally getting Wednesday and Enid back together was short-lived in order to set up season three. We have to wait a questionable amount of time to see if Wednesday can help her friend return to her human form after discovering she’s an alpha who turned herself into a werewolf to dig Wednesday out of an early grave. From a pacing standpoint, it feels forced to entice fans to watch more but really left us on a cliffhanger that might take years to pick up on.

Wednesday is now streaming on Netflix.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.



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Three Pixel 10 phones with the phrase "vs" between them on a colorful background.
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Pixel 10 vs. Pixel 10 Pro vs. Pixel 10 Pro XL: How Google’s Latest Phones Compare

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Google’s new Pixel 10 phones are here, and they boast a handful of spec upgrades over their predecessors, as well as more AI features.

The three models look very similar to last year’s Pixel 9 phones. There’s a standard Pixel 10, a higher-spec Pixel 10 Pro and a large Pixel 10 Pro XL. 

There are still some differentiators between the baseline and Pro models, but that lead is shrinking with more top-level features trickling down. All in all, they’re powerful handsets that rank among the year’s best phones.

Pixel 10 price comparison

  • Pixel 10: $799. The Pixel 10 didn’t get a price increase from last year’s standard model despite getting more features.
  • Pixel 10 Pro: $999. The Pixel 10 Pro also kept its predecessor’s price, though it hasn’t changed much from the Pixel 9 Pro.
  • Pixel 10 Pro XL: $1,199. The top-end Pixel 10 Pro XL got a $100 price hike this year, with a handful of spec upgrades.

Both the Pixel 10 ($799) and Pixel 10 Pro ($999) retain the prices of their predecessors, keeping them in line with their equivalents from other brands, like the Samsung Galaxy S25 ($799) and Galaxy S25 Plus ($999). 

But the Pixel 10 Pro XL got slightly more expensive this year, getting a $100 price bump to $1,199 (up from the $1,099 Pixel 9 Pro XL with 128GB of storage), likely to account for the higher 256GB starting storage option. 

The Pixel 10 Pro XL.

Andrew Lanxon/CNET

Pixel 10 lineups’ design and display changes, compared

  • Pixel 10: Unchanged, but additional camera. The baseline model got an extra camera, widening the lens part of its camera bump, and the display is slightly brighter.
  • Pixel 10 Pro: Unchanged. The smaller Pro model looks almost exactly like its predecessor, and the display is slightly brighter.
  • Pixel 10 Pro XL: Unchanged. The larger Pro XL looks just like its predecessor, and the display is slightly brighter. 

The Pixel 10 lineup looks virtually the same as last year’s Pixel 9 phones, leaving most of the upgrades under the hood. 

All three phones retain the general design of last year’s phones: a metal back with a pill-shaped camera bump. The only major difference is that the glass on the Pixel 10’s camera bump is slightly wider, owing to the third, telephoto camera fit into it. All three models are ever-so-slightly heavier than their predecessors (from 6 grams on the Pixel 10 to 11 grams on the Pixel 10 Pro XL), possibly due to their nominal battery capacity increases. 

The standard Pixel 10 retains its predecessor’s 6.3-inch OLED display, though its maximum brightness has been increased to 3,000 nits (up from 2,700). Likewise, the Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro XL inherit their 6.3-inch OLED and 6.8-inch OLED displays from their predecessors, but they also get maximum screen brightness increases to 3,300 nits (up from 3,000). 

The Pixel 10’s rear cameras.

Celso Bulgatti/CNET

Comparing Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro XL cameras

  • Pixel 10: Added rear camera, for a total of three. A 48-megapixel main, 13-megapixel ultrawide and new 10.8-megapixel telephoto make up the rear cameras, plus a 10.5-megapixel selfie camera.
  • Pixel 10 Pro: Same trio of rear cameras. A 50-megapixel main, 48-megapixel ultrawide and 48-megapixel telephoto make up the rear cameras, plus a 42-megapixel selfie camera.
  • Pixel 10 Pro XL: Same trio of rear cameras. A 50-megapixel main, 48-megapixel ultrawide and 48-megapixel telephoto make up the rear cameras, plus a 42-megapixel selfie camera.

As with other brands, Google has previously differentiated its standard and Pro models by reserving an extra zoom camera for its top-end phones. That changes this year, as the standard Pixel 10 gets a telephoto lens, shrinking the feature gap between the phone tiers.

The Pixel 10 packs a 48-megapixel main camera, though its 13-megapixel ultrawide is a slight downgrade from the 50-megapixel ultrawide shooter in the Pixel 9, which means the new phone may not take as sharp of photos when set to its widest capture settings. The trade-off is the addition of a 10.8-megapixel telephoto with 5x zoom that still adds a lot of functionality, even if it may not take as high-resolution photos as the zoom cameras on its Pro siblings.

The Pixel 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL retain their predecessors’ trio of rear cameras: a 50-megapixel main, a 48-megapixel ultrawide and a 48-megapixel telephoto with 5x zoom. Ostensibly, not much has changed here, though they still take up to 8K video (better than the 4K video maximum on the Pixel 10).

The selfie cameras on all three phones are unchanged from last year, but represent a boost when going from the 10.5-megapixel front-facing camera on the Pixel 10 to the 42-megapixel selfie shooters on the Pixel 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL.

The Pixel 10 Pro XL with an Android logo.

Andrew Lanxon/CNET

All Pixel 10 model specs, compared

  • Pixel 10: Better CPU, slightly bigger battery. The Pixel 10 gets the Google Tensor G5 chip, as well as a 4,970-mAh battery.
  • Pixel 10 Pro: Better CPU, slightly bigger battery. The Pixel 10 Pro gets similar spec upgrades, including the Google Tensor G5 chip, as well as a 4,870-mAh battery.
  • Pixel 10 Pro XL: Better CPU, slightly bigger battery. The Pixel 10 gets the Google Tensor G5 chip, as well as a 5,200-mAh battery.

This year’s Pixel 10 lineup got the usual set of incremental upgrades along with slight boosts to battery capacity, which could have an impact, however small, on increasing battery life.

Like the other models, the Pixel 10 gets the new Google Tensor G5 chip, which Google promises will perform better than its predecessor, last year’s Tensor G4. The new handset inherits the Pixel 9’s 12GB of RAM and baseline storage options of 128GB or 256GB. If you want more, you’ll have to use cloud options or pay more for a Pro or Pro XL model.

The Pixel 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL also have the Tensor G5 chip, which helps power new AI features. Similar to the base model, the Pro versions inherit the same specs as their predecessors: 16GB of RAM and the options of 128GB (Pixel 10 Pro only), 256GB, 512GB or 1TB of storage.

Across the board, all models got slight battery capacity increases, though curiously, the Pixel 10 Pro has the least with 4,870-mAh (up from 4,700-mAh in the Pixel 9 Pro). The next largest is the standard Pixel 10, which got an increase to 4,970-mAh (up from 4,700-mAh in the Pixel 9). The Pixel 10 Pro XL has the largest battery with a 5,200-mAh capacity (up from 5,060mAh).

The Pixel 10 Pro XL also has the edge in juicing up its battery, with a maximum 45-watt wired charging, compared to 30 watts on the Pixel 10 and 10 Pro. All three support Qi2 wireless charging.

All three Pixel 10 phones receive Android 16 out of the box. It was released in June, a month after Google I/O 2025, far earlier than when it typically comes out (usually alongside that year’s Pixel phones). They also get a slew of new AI features like Magic Cue, which scrapes data from Gmail, Google Messages, Google Calendar and other information sources to surface timely details and events.  

Google Pixel 10 vs. Pixel 10 Pro vs. Pixel 10 Pro XL

Google Pixel 10Google Pixel 10 ProGoogle Pixel 10 Pro XLDisplay size, tech, resolution, refresh rate 6.3-inch OLED; 2,424×1,080 pixels; 60 to 120Hz variable refresh rate6.3-inch LTPO OLED; 2,856×1,280 pixels; 1 to 120Hz variable refresh rate6.8-inch LTPO OLED; 2,992×1,344 pixels; 1 to 120Hz variable refresh ratePixel density 422 ppi495 ppi486 ppiDimensions (inches) 6 x 2.8 x 0.3 inches6 x 2.8 x 0.3 in6.4 x 3 x 0.3 inDimensions (millimeters) 152.8 x 72 x 8.5 mm152.8 x 72 x 8.5 mm162.8 x 76.6 x 8.5 mmWeight (grams, ounces) 204 g (7.2 oz)207 g (7.3 oz)232 g (8.2 oz)Mobile software Android 16Android 16Android 16Camera 48-megapixel (wide), 13-megapixel (ultrawide), 10.8-megapixel (5x telephoto)50-megapixel (wide), 48-megapixel (ultrawide), 48-megapixel (5x telephoto)50-megapixel (wide), 48-megapixel (ultrawide), 48-megapixel (5x telephoto)Front-facing camera 10.5-megapixel42-megapixel42-megapixelVideo capture 4K8K8KProcessor Google Tensor G5Google Tensor G5Google Tensor G5RAM + storage 12GB RAM + 128GB, 256GB16GB RAM + 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB16GB RAM + 256GB, 512GB, 1TBExpandable storage NoneNoneNoneBattery 4,970 mAh4,870 mAh5,200 mAhFingerprint sensor Under displayUnder displayUnder displayConnector USB-CUSB-CUSB-CHeadphone jack NoneNoneNoneSpecial features Gorilla Glass 2 Victus cover glass; 3,000 nits peak brightness; Satellite SOS; Dual-eSIM; Wi-Fi 6E; NFC; Bluetooth 6; 30W fast charging (wall charger not included); Qi2 15W wireless charging; support for PixelSnap magnetic accessories; Google VPN; Super Res Zoom up to 20x; Camera Coach; Add Me; Macro mode; Face Unblur; Auto Best Take; IP68 rating for dust and water resistance; 7 years of OS, security, and Pixel Drop updates; Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 polished back with satin finish aluminum frameGorilla Glass 2 Victus cover glass; 3,300 nits peak brightness; Satellite SOS; Dual-eSIM; Wi-Fi 7; NFC; Bluetooth 6; 30W fast charging (wall charger not included); Qi2 15W wireless charging; support for PixelSnap magnetic accessories; Google VPN; Pro Res zoom up to 100x; Camera Coach; Add Me; Macro mode; Face Unblur; Auto Best Take; High-Res Portrait mode; IP68 rating for dust and water resistance; 7 years of OS, security, and Pixel Drop updates; Corning Gorilla GlassVictus 2 silky matte back with polished finish aluminum frame; ultrawideband chipGorilla Glass 2 Victus cover glass; 3,300 nits peak brightness; Satellite SOS; Dual-eSIM; Wi-Fi 7; NFC; Bluetooth 6; 45W fast charging (wall charger not included); Qi2.2 25W wireless charging; support for PixelSnap magnetic accessories; Google VPN; Pro Res zoom up to 100x; Camera Coach; Add Me; Macro mode; Face Unblur; Auto Best Take; High-Res Portrait mode; IP68 rating for dust and water resistance; 7 years of OS, security, and Pixel Drop updates; Corning Gorilla GlassVictus 2 silky matte back with polished finish aluminum frame; ultrawideband chipUS price starts at $799 (128GB)$999 (128GB)$1,199 (256GB)UK price starts at £799 (128GB)£999 (128GB)£1,199 (256GB)Australia price starts at AU$1,349 (128GB)AU$1,699 (128GB)AU$1,999 (256GB)

Watch this: The Google Pixel 10 Pro XL’s Camera Is So Smart, It Almost Took the Photos for Me

07:57



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Meraki Espresso Machine Review: Fine Grind, Loose Fit
Gaming Gear

Meraki Espresso Machine Review: Fine Grind, Loose Fit

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Alongside grinding and dosing by weight, the steam wand likewise allows for a bit of added control, with settings from mild to strong. “Strong” means strong, for big cappuccino froth: Heed the warning and keep your milk level low in the frothing cup, or you’ll probably have cleanup. But especially, the steam wand offers an automatic shutoff at your desired temp, so you don’t accidentally burn off milk sugars. In practice, it’ll probably stop a few degrees lower than you set it, so plan accordingly.

Jump into the custom settings and you can also add a pre-infusion—a lower-pressure water infusion, for more gentle soaking of the grounds. And of course you can adjust the temperature of your water to account for lighter or darker roasts. It’s all pretty easy to do. More espresso machines should do these things. All of these things. But few do.

A Fine Grind

So far, so good. So how’s the espresso that results? This depends in no small part on the grinder, of course.

I have put the Meraki’s pentagonal conical burr grinder through the paces, on light, medium, and dark roasts. And it does give the Baratza Encore ESP a run for its money, according to taste tests, coffee extraction testing, and particle size analysis I conducted using a device called the DiFluid Omni.

Omni via Matthew Korfhage

Omni via Matthew Korfhage

At the finest grinds, the built-in Meraki grinder actually came in a bit more tightly dialed than the ESP, with fewer large particles that might indicate clotting and cause channeling. It also fared well with light-roast grinds that often overtax integrated grinders. And according to particle size analysis, it maintained good consistency. (This said, I tend to increase dose on light roasts, rather than grind so finely I feel like I’m playing the choking game with my espresso machine.)

Which is all to say, the Meraki’s built-in grinder handily rivals the Breville Oracle Jet’s grinder in raw specs, putting this machine in rarefied air when it comes to espresso machines with built-in grinders. This is true especially because the grinder is stepless, meaning you don’t have large gaps between grinder settings.

Another potential fun feature is an RFID scanner that allows you to scan a coffee roaster’s bag and load up the ideal grind settings for each bean. This said, only one US roaster, Dark Horse, is listed on Meraki’s site as of now. So this feature remains mostly theoretical.

Caveats and Quibbles

Photograph: Matthew Korfhage

This all said, the grinder settings do seem to “float” a bit as the machine operates, perhaps because of vibration or perhaps just while grinding. The Meraki’s grinder may migrate a full setting between one day’s grind and the next—meaning that if you don’t pay attention, tomorrow’s shot may not be the same as today’s. I also have minor quibbles with the tamper and puck leveler, whose tops have a tendency to unscrew while you’re preparing your portafilter.



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Silksong, smacking sticks and other new indie games worth checking out

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Welcome to our latest recap of what’s going on in the indie game space. Folks, it’s here. You know it’s here. So, we’ll touch on it, but briefly. Some developers and publishers opted not to delay their games out of this week (others have done that to get some breathing space from you-know-what), so there are several other newcomers to highlight.

Before we get there, there’s a sale worth mentioning on a PC storefront that does not offer Hollow Knight: Silksong. The Epic Games Store’s End of Summer Sale is running until September 18 and there are some pretty solid deals. Cyberpunk 2077 is 65 percent off for the base game and 50 percent off for the ultimate edition, which includes the Phantom Liberty DLC (which is also 30 percent off for those who have the base game already).

Other discounts of note include Red Dead Redemption 2 (75 percent off), Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced (50 percent off), Assassin’s Creed Shadows (33 percent off), The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Complete Edition (80 percent) and Alan Wake 2 (70 percent off). A bunch of PlayStation games are on sale too, including Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (20 percent), The Last of Us Part 1 (50 percent), Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut (33 percent), God of War (60 percent off) and God of War Ragnarok (20 percent). You’ll get 20 percent back in Epic Rewards on your purchases too.

The Epic Games Store offers totally free games every week (no need to have a subscription for those!), and the freebies tend to be for well-known games whenever there’s a major sale on the store. Right now, you can pick up an all-timer in Monument Valley for exactly zero dollars. You have until 11AM ET on September 11 to claim the classic puzzle game. When that game cycles out, Epic Games will rotate three more titles into its lineup: Monument Valley 2, Ghostrunner 2 (which I enjoy very much but am terrible at) and a strategy game called The Battle of Polytopia. Again, you’ll have a week to claim those.

Meanwhile, if you have an Amazon Prime subscription, there’s usually a solid selection in the Prime Gaming library. Games you claim here are yours to keep forever, even if you don’t maintain your Prime membership. Amazon offered up a particularly tasty one this week in the shape of Into The Breach, a hugely acclaimed strategy game, but there are plenty of others to check out. And speaking of games you can play right now…

New releases

Yes, Hollow Knight: Silksong is finally here. It’s out on consoles and PC for $20 and it’s included with Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass. It’s broken storefronts and probably some controllers that players have hurled at the wall after dying to a tough boss.

After a seven-year wait, Silksong is by some distance the highest-profile indie game to arrive in 2025 so far. Perhaps if we start mentioning another long-awaited game — say, Kingdom Hearts 4? Beyond Good and Evil 2? — it may arrive sooner rather than later. Or in, like, another five years.

I made a few attempts to play Hollow Knight, but bounced off quickly each time. I’ll be sure to give Silksong a proper go, though.

It might be the case that Silksong isn’t quite your thing. Never fear, there’s lots of other new stuff from this week for you to dive into.

If a game pops up that reminds me of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (aka the best game of all time) in terms of looks, I’m duty bound to mention it. Fortunately, Rogue Labyrinth seems like it could be fun to play too. This action-narrative roguelite from Tea Witch Games and publisher indie.io hit Steam this week. It usually costs $15, but it’s 20 percent off with a limited-time launch discount.

Another thing that’s very much in Rogue Labyrinth‘s favor is that your weapon is a smacking stick, which you can use to turn objects (including vanquished enemies) into projectiles. The combat is a blend of bullet-hell dodging and hack-and-slash action. Being a roguelike, there’s randomization when it comes to things like the arenas, enemies and powers you’ll encounter on each run. The game is also said to feature dynamic narrative systems and you’ll forge alliances with other characters as you try to survive a lethal reality show.

Although so many other indie games scrambled to get out of the way of Silksong, Hirogami stuck to its September 3 release date. I had to chuckle when a press release with a title of “3D origami platformer Hirogami refuses to fold” hit my inbox last week. An easy pun, but I appreciated it.

Anyway, this is indeed a 3D platformer with an origami focus. You can flatten out your character into a sheet of paper so that a gust of wind can send you soaring to an elevated platform. You can transform into an armadillo to roll through enemies, an ape to explore treetops and a frog to jump higher. That seems like a real bananza of animal transformation options. Hirogami is available now on Steam, Epic Games Store and PS5.

Fling to the Finish has been out on PC for some time, and now this co-op platform racing game from SplitSide Games and publisher Daedalic Entertainment has swung over to consoles. You and a friend are tethered by an elastic rope that will inevitably snag on parts of the environment. But you can actually use this to your advantage to swing your teammate onto a ledge or send you both hurling through the air.

The obstacle-filled courses bring to mind Fall Guys, while the items that players can deploy to slow down race leaders remind me a bit of the Mario Kart games. Fling to the Finish does support solo play, as well as local and online multiplayer, where communication will be key (cross-play is available too). As was the case with Overcooked, you and your pal can play the game by sharing a single controller, which may make it easier to play the game in splitscreen if you’re with a bunch of friends.

Jetrunner is an action platformer in the vein of Ghostrunner and Neon White from Riddlebit Software and publisher Curveball Games. The folks behind it say it has “a gameplay loop that can be best described as Trackmania meets Titanfall.” So, there are lots of comparisons to make here. Ultimately, you’ll be parkouring your way through various courses while shooting targets, hooking onto grapple points and looking for shortcuts.

Finding the optimal route — and, of course, actually completing it with as few errors as possible — is the path to climbing the global leaderboards. You can race against ghost replays of your previous runs for a clear visual comparison. In addition, there’s a story mode that sees your character Nina (voiced by Sara Secora) trying to become a legendary jetrunner, with commentator Mick Acaster (Matthew Mercer) charting her progress. I’m digging the visuals here too.

Jetrunner is out now on Steam and the Epic Games Store for $20 (there’s a 10 percent launch discount on Steam). There’s a speedrun contest that’s taking place until September 11 with a $2,000 prize pool. You can snag a share if you can complete all of the campaign levels in a row quickly enough in the marathon mode and stick to the rules. It also seems that the exodus of other games this week due to Silksong helped Jetrunner gain extra visibility on Steam.

Upcoming

A rhythm RPG in which you can use your own music and manually adjust the BPM is interesting enough. But add giant, repurposed mechs to the mix, and now we’re really cookin’. In Steel Century Groove, you’ll compete in robot dance battles as you try to claim a championship. These mechanical beasts were used in warfare long, long ago. Now they’re just literal groove machines.

Steel Century Groove, which is from Sloth Gloss Games, is coming to Steam on January 28. A demo is available now, and your progress will carry over to the full game.

When I was assembling the list of games to include in this week’s roundup, I left myself a single, two-word note about The Legend of Baboo: “big floof.” The floof in question is the large, titular dog that accompanies human hero Sepehr in this third-person action adventure from Permanent Way and publisher Midwest Games.

You’ll play as both characters as you take on enemies, solve puzzles and navigate treacherous lands. When you conquer bosses, you’ll learn powerful magical attacks. Most importantly, you can zhush up Baboo with outfits and ornaments that you discover on your journey. He’s the best boy and he deserves to look and feel good. It’s also crucial to note that, as Sepehr, you can pet, ride and high-five Baboo.

A release date (or even a release window) has yet to be announced for The Legend of Baboo. It’s coming to Steam, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.

Dreams of Another looks quite unlike any game I’ve seen before. It uses point cloud rendering tech for its remarkably pretty visuals. This fantasy exploration game from Q-Games (under the leadership of Baiyon, the director of PixelJunk Eden) is set in a dream-like world where you create the world by shooting at it.

Dreams of Another is coming to PS5, PS VR2 and Steam on October 9, and it might just prompt me to set up my VR headset again. A demo dropped this week on Steam, but it’s only available until September 16.

Tombwater looks kinda rad. It’s a 2D pixel-art Soulslike Western from Moth Atlas and publisher Midwest Games. The developers took (another?) leaf out of FromSoftware’s playbook by pitting you against creepy eldritch horrors. This one is coming to Steam on November 12.

I always appreciate when a labor of love comes to fruition. Former Uber, MapQuest and Microsoft engineer John Lansing said that, nine years ago, “I built a Final Fantasy Tactics inspired football prototype, and 691 commits later I am proud to present the Fantasy Football Tactics Demo!” This is a turn-based RPG in which the aim is to outscore your opponents rather than taking them out in combat.

The demo hit Steam this week. There’s no release date as yet for the full game.



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Google antitrust ruling clears the way for Apple’s Gemini push
Gaming Gear

Google antitrust ruling clears the way for Apple’s Gemini push

by admin


Eddy Cue deserves a raise.

As the executive overseeing Apple’s services division, he’s highly incentivized to protect the tens of billions of dollars a year that Google pays to be the default search engine in Safari. “I’ve lost a lot of sleep thinking about it,” he said from the witness stand during Google’s antitrust trial earlier this year.

Luckily for Cue, his court testimony appears to have had a significant impact on Judge Amit Mehta, who ruled this week that Google’s default payments to Apple and others can continue. You can see Cue’s arguments at trial mirrored in Mehta’s ruling: the Apple SVP said it would be “crazy” to punish the iPhone maker by restricting Google’s ability to pay for default status, and that the rise of AI companies was remaking the search market anyway. In an attempt to downplay the significance of Apple and Google’s deal, Cue went so far as to say that Google searches in Safari were declining for the first time, which temporarily caused Google’s stock price to drop.

Those are the exact arguments Mehta ultimately made in his ruling. He acknowledged that default payments continue to “shape the market for general search services in Google’s favor,” but that banning them would have “crippling” downstream effects on the recipients of those payments. One specific effect he cited was “fewer products and less product innovation from Apple,” one of the world’s richest companies. (Google’s payments to Apple are estimated to make up about 15% of its annual profit.)

Mehta cited the rise of generative AI companies like OpenAI and Perplexity as evidence that there is finally competition in the search market. “The money flowing into this space, and how quickly it has arrived, is astonishing,” he wrote. “These new realities give the court hope that Google will not simply outbid competitors for distribution if superior products emerge.”

As Mehta well knows, the reality of Google and Apple’s financial relationship is much more complicated than that. Google has historically paid Apple a percentage of the ad revenue it earns via Safari. This aligns incentives between two of the most powerful companies on earth, both of which have shared in the upside of this arrangement for the better part of two decades.

It’s likely not a coincidence that, right after Mehta’s ruling was released, news broke that Apple is now collaborating with Google to potentially have Gemini power the AI search engine it’s developing for Siri. Apple executives have been discussing the integration of Gemini into iOS for over a year, but have held back due to obvious optics reasons. The US government has just given them permission to proceed.

“This outcome is a home run for the status quo, and the status quo has been very favorable to both Google and Apple,” the tech and media stock research firm MoffettNathanson wrote in a note to its clients this week. “We’re not suggesting that the future of search or devices is now free from competitive threat, but this decision allows the transition ahead to unfold on their terms rather than through a disruptive and damaging judgment.”

Apple and Google’s search deal should have been undone, and perhaps it still will be if Apple eventually gets its turn under the antitrust spotlight. I’ve spoken with many would-be Google Search rivals over the years who have pointed to the deal as a key factor in stifling competition. You could argue that no deal has had a greater impact on Silicon Valley over the long arc of time, in fact. The most sinister aspect is that it has enabled the two companies that already control how most people access the internet to become richer and more powerful together.

The relationship being allowed to continue now sets the stage for Apple and Google to extend their shared dominance into the age of AI. Apple is behind on AI, but remains a powerful source of distribution for Gemini via iPhones, iPads, and Macs. With search payments from Google continuing to roll in, why would Apple need to acquire a startup like Mistral or Perplexity to play catch-up? It’s already getting paid to work with one of the world’s leading AI companies and now has carte blanche to forge deeper ties.

This week’s ruling also puts OpenAI’s distribution deal with Apple for ChatGPT in a tough spot. I’m sure Apple likes having optionality, but it’s not going to jeopardize the Google relationship with the money from search continuing. OpenAI doesn’t yet have an ads business to give Apple a competitive cut from, either. Despite what Mehta thinks, it’s hard to imagine any other company being able to exceed Google’s default payments with a superior product (sorry, Microsoft). This all leaves Google and Apple where they’ve been all along: two de facto monopolies feeding each other at the expense of everyone else.

  • A seating chart for the ages: If you have intel on who decided where all the tech leaders sat for last night’s big AI dinner at the White House, please reach out. Placing Alexandr Wang directly across the table from Sam Altman was certainly a choice, as was Mark Zuckerberg’s placement between Donald Trump and David Sacks. I’ll leave the jokes about Chamath Palihapitiya’s presence to everyone who is already making them on social media.
  • Lambos coming to the OpenAI HQ garage: It can be challenging to grasp the magnitude of a $10.3 billion tender offer, which OpenAI made available this week to eligible employees. So here’s a narrower number: $30 million. That’s how much my sources say that OpenAI employees (who have been at the company for at least two years) can elect to sell by the end of this month. It’s three times more than the previous maximum cap. Let the good times roll!
  • Fidji Simo gets the band back together: Speaking of OpenAI, it’s remarkable how much its C-suite is starting to resemble that of mid-2010s Facebook. Vijaye Raji, an early Facebook engineering leader, is rejoining his former colleague, Fidji Simo, as CTO of OpenAI applications, which means he’s going to oversee the rollout of the company’s imminent browser release. His company, Statsig, is being acquired as part of the deal but will seemingly stay independent. Srinivas Narayanan, who previously ran engineering at OpenAI and is also an early Facebook leader, is now CTO of “B2B applications.” Yes, OpenAI has two CEOs and two CTOs.

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F1 Academy TeamViewer car
Gaming Gear

“There’s no straight path…but if you can see it, you can be it!” – how the F1 Academy is looking to change the game for women in STEM

by admin



For 75 years, Formula 1 has been an almost entirely male-dominated sport, with only a handful of female participants, both on and off the grid.

However this will soon change, as the women-only F1 Academy series, launched in 2023, looks to promote not only female motorsport drivers, but careers in STEM fields for women as a whole.

Ahead of this season’s Dutch Grand Prix, I spoke to Karin Fink, commercial director, F1 Academy, to hear more about the work the series is doing, and where it hopes to be in the future.


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Key players

Now in its third season, the F1 Academy offers 18 drivers the chance to fight for a championship across some of the world’s most demanding circuits, with practice sessions, qualifying and races integrated into Formula 1 race weekends.

Unlike Formula 1, where teams fiercely compete for the smallest bodywork or performance upgrades, the cars in F1 Academy are all identical Formula 4-spec, levelling the playing field, with the main differences being the partner and sponsor liveries. The series has attracted a wide range of partners, with individual drivers receiving support from the likes of Tommy Hilfiger, Tag Heuer, Charlotte Tilbury and TeamViewer – TechRadar Pro’s host for the trip.

“We’ve made a lot of progress in our commercial partnerships,” Fink says, “which is really important, not only from a financial perspective, but also getting our voice, our message out – so we look for partners who can work with us to amplify that message – we don’t want someone who just wants to slap their logo on the car and wait for us to do the work.”

“So the way we communicate and make our message known in the world of female sports, establishing ourselves as one of the key players in that development is very important.”

(Image credit: Future / Mike Moore)

Already an existing partner of the Mercedes F1 team, TeamViewer was the F1 Academy’s first technology partner, helping the series as part of its work to improve gender equality, promoting opportunities for everyone across STEM fields, and sponsoring the Wild Card entry at the Zaandvoort race, where Esmee Kosterman finished an impressive 7th.

Kosterman’s car featured a special livery adorned with images of over 200 women, role models who have inspired women across a range of industries, in workplaces, in paddocks and in their personal lives.

Kosterman’s race number also referenced recent findings from TeamViewer’s Women in Sport Tech report which found 86% of women believe that having visible female leaders is key to gender equality in the workplace – something the F1 Academy is trying to boost.

“(TeamViewer) were so passionate about coming into the sport, with the view of really opening it up to female career growth and finding your pathway somewhere where it’s not always super available to everyone,” Fink notes.

“It’s the partners that have really added credibility to us as well – they took a leap of faith, and we really do appreciate their support…it really shows that we have something that is worth consideration, and creates real value and relevance in their field.”

“We’re always open to developing further – the team is always looking at working on developing the actual racing series…and now we’ve established our baseline, it’s something we can really hone in on and create some added benefit – and technology is such a huge part of everyday life these days, so of course we want to be at the forefront of that, and want to integrate it into our series as well.”

Fan connections

Like Formula 1, F1 Academy has also benefitted from the “Netflix effect”, with a TV series helping open up the sport to a whole new audience. At race weekends, the series also tries to be open and interactive for fans, offering an open paddock for people to visit, as well as autograph sessions with the drivers.

Fink says the reaction has been “100% positive,” adding, “it’s really about showing girls our drivers are what they could be – I know it’s a bit of a stereotype, but if you can see it, you can be it!”

“Connecting with our fans is really important – I think there’s so much more that we can do.”

The series also runs the Discover your Drive programme, where local students are brought in to speak to key players in the sport to show off opportunities in motorsport and STEM as a whole.

“The reality is, for everyone who comes in, there’s no straight path,” says Fink, who herself worked her way up from waitressing in the Formula 1 Paddock Club as a student, “and I’m pretty sure for a lot of the roles in technology, in the industry, we want to show that if you want it, you just say yes to any opportunity, you put your hand up.”

Susie Wolff spearheads F1 Academy (Image credit: Shutterstock.com / QIAN JUN)

Looking forward, it’s clear Fink and the entire F1 Academy series has ambitious plans for the future.

There has not been a female participant in a Formula 1 race weekend since 2014, when current F1 Academy managing director Susie Wolff drove in a practice session for Williams at Silverstone, and although five women have driven in a Formula 1 race in the past, only Lella Lombardi has ever scored a point, coming in sixth at the 1975 Spanish Grand Prix.

“The opportunity is there – what we need to cultivate is the impression that it’s not just a male sport,” says Fink.

“As opposed to other women’s sports, like WSL or WNBA, I don’t have to fill my own stadium, that advantage is enormous, and something we try to capitalize on.”

“When I look at the WNBA, the WSL…I go there now to events and meet my counterparts in those areas, so we can start to talk about our work not just as the disruptors, but as the leagues and series that are establishing ourselves…giving everyone the same base that they can build on.”

“We’ve had so much support from Formula 1 as an organization, we always want to add value to the race weekend, and be seen as someone who has earned their place to be here, and is respected by the fans, by the rights holders, by the participants – and the F1 teams have shown us so much support as well, we often get team principles and drivers come to join us on the grid.”

“We want to see our drivers advance…but it’s a long process, it won’t happen straight away. Formula 1 is 75 years old, and predominantly focused on male drivers, so I think we have a long way to go, but I’m 100% sure it’s going to happen.”



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G-Man’s Wobbly Walk from Garry's Mod
Gaming Gear

Now that the wait for Silksong is over, gamers can get back to their true calling: asking for Half-Life 3 in the chat

by admin



Even gaming’s strongest warriors lose their way once in a while.

As skilled as we are at following checklists of things to collect and arrows that point us to our precise destination, sometimes a shiny object in the distance catches our eye and lures us away from our destiny as the one true savior of the realm. Sometimes, instead of staying devoted to our highest purpose as videogame enthusiasts—typing the words “Half-Life 3?” into the Twitch or YouTube chat box during any and every livestreamed event—we get distracted.

Hollow Knight: Silksong was very distracting. Announced, then vanished, then resurfaced and re-vanished in such a way as to inspire waves of hope, despair and development hell conspiracy theories. Half-Life 3 had to earn its place as the mystical ur-announcement, the unlikeliest of hoped-for “One last thing” bombshells to trot out at the end of a Game Awards or E3 keynote, by not existing for decades. Silksong took a mere five years to run the same cycle. And the whole time it was a real game!


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That realness made the possibility of Silksong popping up in every single Nintendo Direct, Gamescom Opening Night Live, or Sony State of Play seem so tantalizingly possible. How could anyone under those conditions not type “Silksong?” into the chat of any and every Twitch stream?

How could that infection of the mind not spread into ever-more-desperate permutations?

Silksong when?

Silksong where?

📢SKONG📢

Silksong??? 🤡

🤡

🤡🤡🤡

🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡

🪡SKONG🪡SKONG🪡SKONG🪡SKONG🪡SKONG🪡SKONG🪡SKONG🪡SKONG🪡SKONG🪡SKONG🪡SKONG🪡SKONG🪡SKONG🪡SKONG🪡SKONG🪡SKONG

Deep down, everyone who’s typed Silksong into chat over the last five years has known that they’d diverged from the critical path. They were on a sidequest, and it was taking a lot longer than they expected it to.

Of course that fosters a nervous, even manic energy. We are masters of efficiency! We live to complete objectives! The sooner we could stop typing Silksong into chat, the sooner we could get back to our one true duty of typing “Half-Life 3?” and knowing we are answering our true calling.

Team Cherry has done gamers the world over a great service by releasing Silksong. That it is seemingly a pretty dang good game is ultimately superfluous. We’re all now free to, undistracted, focus on what we can’t and will probably never have, which is far more important than enjoying what we’re fortunate enough to possess.

I know you may be rusty after half a decade, but it’s time to get your mojo back. It’s only a few months until The Game Awards, so you’re going to have to start practicing now, so that the letters and that tricky hyphen flow out of you as instinctively as a Mario hop.

Go ahead and open a random Twitch chat. Refamiliarize yourself with the endless rush of messages. Don’t let all those emotes and colored names distract you. Just start typing: Maybe a tentative “HL3?” to test that Silksong is fully out of your system. That you have the focus for the full name.

Keep typing it! Over and over again. I’m sure the streamer won’t mind! They’ll love it, actually. So will the other chatters, because even without a distraction as powerful as Silksong, there’s always something else to momentarily snare our attention away. A rupee. A bad hair day. A streamer not knowing how to pronounce “Lichdragon Fortissax.”

Once everyone sees your absolute commitment in typing it again and again I’m sure they’ll thank you for your vision. Soon everyone will be typing it too, snapped back to the path of destiny by your guiding hand:

Half-Life 3?

Is this Half-Life 3?

Half-Life 3 when?

Half-Life 3 when?



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